About Me!

I’m a writer and disability rights campaigner. I blog to raise awareness of the daily frustrations we have with the current system of ‘Welfare reforms’ and can also signpost people to Internet groups which give advice and support for people undergoing Atos assessments.

My first love was Shakespeare, closely followed by books of all kinds, Folk Music, Early Music, chocolate and the novels of Diana Gabaldon. I used to write epic novels in my spare time. I once wrote a 40,000-word Masters dissertation on attitudes to disability in the Early Modern period (1500-1700) which was only supposed to be half that length!

I have mild cerebral palsy (C.P.) due to medical negligence at birth. This leaves me partially and mildly paralysed down my left side, rather uncoordinated (causing dyspraxia type issues) and dyscalculic due to additional related brain damage from the same period.

In 1997 I was also diagnosed with a prolactinoma (a benign brain tumour) and an assault occurring at about this time I was misdiagnosed with depression and prescribed antidepressants for fatigue, causing further physical and cognitive problems.

I also have PTSD -though given this was diagnosed on the basis of my shaking hands and legs which is fairly normal in cerebral palsy, I’m not always sure they got that one right!